It’s got to be pretty interesting going through life as Judy Koenig, Sandwich Emptyprize staffer, observer and opinion expresser on all things Sandwich.
Evidently, Judy is allergic to both fact and reason. This has to be a challenge to her daily living. Judy’s ability to survive despite her truth-based aversions is, I guess, strangely admirable. It’s nice too that the Emptyprize keeps publishing her unique, imagined, one of a kind perspective.
Last week, Judy decided to write about the Community School. In Judy’s world, that public enterprise was once “profitable.” It’s really something that Judy can imagine and pretend “profits” and “cash” into her own odd reality. For the rest of us, two or three written reports and letters from the Town’s Auditors were enough proof of the school’s long-standing dire fiscal state.
This week, Judy has decided that the Selectmen were wrong to tell the fire chief to stop trying to hire new staff that the Town has no money to pay. She says that a decision to not spend money we don’t have “lacks leadership.” Funny, in my world, not spending money you don’t have is considered “prudent.”
In Judy’s special world, having no money doesn’t seem to mean much of anything; and, it’s certainly not a reason to stop spending.
Again, you have to admire Judy’s pluck and consistency – my life would certainly be easier if “fact” and “truth” were just “matters of opinion.” And, it would be ideal if I could spend any amount of money no matter how much money I actually have.
Next time you see Judy give her a smile and some encouragement, don’t let her wage her battle against fact and reason all by herself.
12 comments:
Facts and fiction, seem to have been lost here in Sandwich of late .It would seem the reporters are not fact finding the comments they write and actually are adding to the financial turmoil we as a town face.
When one considers that our Present Sandwich Economic Iniative Corporation signed a contract with another corporation for over $100, 000 and they did not have any money in the bank to do that, it makes you wonder if we have some serious problems here in Sandwich about who is in charge of the chicken coop. Who gets sued if the contract these people signed are not paid for by the tax payers who were told that they would never ever be asked for one penny for economic development as it would be bourne by the business they would be helping to get established here in town ,
Just like the community school that never made a profit other then the money they obtained from raiding the school districts budget.which has long ties to misappropriation of tax payers money.
I wonder if MS Judy will support giving the SEIC another $165,000 of tax payers money along with the last $50,000 and say we need to spend this money for some magic project that will be needed?
Relax, taxpayers aren't on the hook for anything beyond the $50K already given to the SEIC. Any contract the SEIC signs is based on available funding only -- vendors accept at their own risk -- they can't obligate taxpayers to pay anything.
If they develop a project, their fee will pay the fees of their consultants.
That being said, I would like to know exactly what the SEIC has done to earn any fees. So far, they are working to sell a piece of land to the only guy who has been wanting to buy it -- for years. Why couldn't the Town have sold the land and let the buyer pay the development consultants -- there are way too many hands in this pot -- and I don't believe hey are creating any value.
I also smell a rat when I see that TRT's General Manager is a former SEIC member -- I can't believe that passes any "smell test".
It would be nice if the SEIC would actually make some sort of public statement.
To 5.23 you make some valid points , however the notion that they can make a contract based on not having money in the bank would seem to be counterproductive as well as leaving the door wide open for some sort of litigation if the bill is not paid as contracted.
As we speak the corporation that recieved almost $50, 000 of tax payers money is still owed between $70 and $72,000 more dollars and the bill is still climbing.
That is one reason they are seeking another $165,000 from the Sandwich tax payer, as will be presented in the next town meeting.
The key word here, as you stated, is if they develope any project?
As far as the smell test goes you also may be one hundred percent correct in your comment, but we do not have any one that does account for many of our less then then steller ethical practices over the past few years?
The SEIC has made a statement in the local paper and basically all is well , but we need more of your tax dollars in order to provide us with a larger commercial base, that benifits who???
It is the same spin that was put on the community school issue for years, they never actually made a profit, with out raiding the school districts operating funds first.The children suffered, our school district suffered and the tax payers ultimily paid the price for really bad ethical practices.
No one is watching the chickens in the coop, as we have to many self serving foxes who are the ones, that in the end, profit.
No more taxpayers dollars should ever be given to the SEIC, with out full disclosure of the present bill we paid from our $50,000 we gave to some corporation that works out of another State and we get to pay over $2,000 dollars just for milage, $2,000 dollars to set up a web site, $2,500 for lawyer fees. Keep in mind we have local folks right here in Sandwich that are well qualified to do the same work and would support the business we have here in Sandwich and not another town , let alone state.
Any one can go to the town Hall and obtain a listing of bills that were submitted and paid for by the tax payers money requested by the SEIC to the tune of $48,000 and determine the validity of the expendures from your own prospective. Then you need to check out the Minutes of the meeting minutes they have submitted to the town clerks office and see how many times since this group has been operating and see how many times they went into excutive session, non of those minutes have ever been submitted in the past three years, makes one wonder ?
Just be careful if you speak the truth and include names you just may get a threating letter from a lawyer, such as I did, a little while back.
The person responsible for the lack of facts in Judy's ongoing fantasy reporting is John Paradise. But Judy's not the only person writing "opinion" pieces for the weekly rag. Most people in town take it all with a grain of salt. As long as they continue to publish youth sport photos, honor roll listings and our illustrious police log, most people in town will continue to buy it and ultimately line their respective turtle crates with this paper!
Nice comment anon because you have identified a long standing problem in Sandwich when it comes to we was-a-shores. Judy has, for as long as I have listened, read or observed a typical "My way or the highway" philosophy when it comes to her" town. The very arrogance of her generation has always been one of exclusion to the newcomers in town. You want a big box store in Sandwich? Hell no. That store would displace the local box turtles. If you didn't agree with her (and other townies) thoughts you were outcast. Town meeting is not attended because it is boring, most folks (spell that the wash a shores)still feel the sting on the back of their neck from the stares of Judyland residents. Funny, they all live in that downtown area or perhaps East Sandwich. As Bob says, sometimes I worry about using that paper in the litter box for fear that the cat might catch the "Wash a shore" mentality of Olde Sandwich, of which, by now, Judy must have been elected Queen Bee.
.Brother Greg, what say yee fellow wash ashore, that the old guard of Sandwich has indeed set the tone and rules as to how to be a self serving citizen of Sandwich. Even some of the recent wash ashores have taken up the mantra on telling every one what is good for them andthen find the way to provide a self serving financial reward for themselves.
Unfortunitly, we have far to many foxes protecting themselves from being outed in the game of politics.
We have those that continue to be untruthful in there commentary, yet give the appearance it is they that know, understand, what is good for our town. When clearly all it is an attempt to spin some mystical adventure of how they
cannot get caught with there hands in the cooky jar, because they are all tied into one attempt to be a power influence over our town.
It sure is a strange set of circumstances we have all managed to endure, all at the expence of growing our town into the 20th century and getting true economic development that serve all and not just the historical parts of Sandwich.
By the way I would like to change the meaning that washashores have been given by those that also were washashores. We are all in the same boat together , one side is rowing in one direction, while the other side is rowing in the opposite way. How about for a change we all row in the same direction and get on the same team.
Carl, long gone are the days I remember watching the board of selectmen, I think there were less of them then...arguing over approving ONE SINGLE STREET light! Stingy is another word...but they were all old Sandwich-ites on that board. I love your description of the rowboat from hell...forever cursed to steam in circles! I wish I had an answer to what mystical power it would take to have them pull the number 9 oars in unison! We sure don't seem capable of doing it in the voting booth. You speak the truth my wise sage. Perhaps, one day, we will find a real selectperson who, for a change, IS NOT a politician but someone who really has an answer to pulling it all together.
A number of money makers were removed from the CS and put into the schools budget.The pool has been the prolbem all along.
249, Baloney ! (I cleaned that up!)
Did you read the audit report or any of the previous auditors letters?
The only things taken away from the CS were things they shouldn't have had. If the school pays to maintain a space, why should the CS be allowed to profit by renting it out. (To a private driving school or other rent-paying group.)
Want to complain about The District adding full day kindergarten? Did you think it was fair that parents were being grossly over-charged for a program that was free (or at a reduced cost) in other towns?
State law is clear .... Money earned renting school facilities needs to be used to maintain those facilities ---- not subsidizing swimming for adults from surrounding towns.
Did i miss anything? Were there any other "money makers" out there?
It's interesting you admit the pool has always been the problem. That was the local equivalent of heresy until recently!
Does anybody else think it is outrageous that these community school people felt entitled to overcharge the parents of pre-school kids and the parents of kids taking Drivers Ed in order to make enough money to operate the pool?
How could they possibly justify that? Why did it take so long before this was uncovered?
What will it take to have those that do not comprehend what has been going on with this failed book keeping to understand the seriousness of the ongoing problem that was allowed by some former members of the school committee and superintendents of schools?
Maybe when the suit filed by DR.Johnson is settled some answer will be forthcoming? She was the one that put a stop to that practice and that is why she was treated the way she was.
If any one cares to do a little history search of the community school practices and go back in time , you just might see for your self what transpired that was NOT ethical nor truthful. keep in mind that one needs to do a visual comparison of each years financial records to determine where the fault really lies. Look at who were promoting the continued taking of school districts money to off set community school costs and in one case were allowed to borrow some serious cash from the town that almost got lost in the book keeping process, that gave the Community school a profit margin that was in fact based on borrowed money. That bill was finally paid after countless back door promises failed.
Look at the states financial statements in regards to the school , going back some 15 to 20 years , you just might get the total picture of what was going on. Then again you might not?
When you see those who were paid from this line item number also sitting in judgement on how to pay the bills it makes one wonder why it had not be brought out before it was. We still have this mentality present here today, where some run up bills with no money in the bank, yet they want the tax payers to pay the price for there mishandling of public funds or take it from some source that it should never be taken from.
It should be noted that at the recent Bd of selectmans meeting when Dr Canfield was requesting money for the pool that One of the Selectman made a comment in regards to the community school still s owes the town 150,000 big ones for a loan that was never paid back a few years ago.
The spin at that time was that in fact the money was paid back, now we find out that the town is still owed this money, who do you believe?
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